DEVIANCE SOCIOLOGY 3321 FALL 2011 INSTRUCTOR: Carol Cirulli Lanham, PhD EMAIL: cclanham@utdallas.edu OFFICE: 2.

612 Green Hall PHONE: 972-883-2867 VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS: 1 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mondays in the eLearning chat room, and by appointment. In-person meetings or video conferencing on Google+ also available by appointment. CLASS TIME AND LOCATION: This is an ONLINE class offered over the Internet. All course materials may be found on UTD eLearning site at https://elearning.utdallas.edu There are no in-person meetings. COURSE PRE-REQUISITES, CO-REQUISITES AND/OR OTHER RESTRICTIONS:
None

COURSE DESCRIPTION: How would you define deviance? Answers to this question vary widely since behaviors that are considered deviant in one society are sometimes seen as perfectly normal in others. In this course, we will focus on sociological theories of deviance. In particular, we will examine deviance as a social construction rather than as a biological or psychological element of human behavior. In exploring the causes and consequences of deviant behavior, we will consider both the positivist and constructionist perspectives and the interaction between those who make societys rules and those who break them. We will address the problems of definition, identification, explanation, and social reaction to violations of cultural norms. We also will survey the latest research on selected types of deviance in contemporary society in order to understand the social and personal dimensions of the behavior, including implications for public policy. Topics will range from domestic violence and prostitution to obesity and cybersex. LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. Understand the major sociological theories of deviant behavior. 2. Differentiate between constructionist and positivist perspectives on deviance. 3. Analyze the social forces that influence deviant behavior and how they are shaped by factors such as race, class, age and gender. 4. Discuss how perceptions of deviance change over time and from one location to another. 5. Assess the ethical dilemmas and challenges involved in researching deviance. 6. Identify key trends and facts related to particular forms of deviant behavior. 7. Evaluate societal responses to deviant behavior, including public policy and law enforcement.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND MATERALS: Alex Thio, Deviant Behavior, 10th edition, Allyn and Bacon, 2010. ISBN: 9780205693238
Also available as an eTextbook through CourseSmart.

Alex Thio, Thomas C. Calhoun, Addrain Conyers, Readings in Deviant Behavior, 6th Edition, Allyn Bacon, 9780205695577

Both of these books are also available for rent. CLASS FORMAT AND INSTRUCTORS EXPECTATIONS This course is entirely web-based and all work will be completed online through UTDs eLearning site, therefore we will not be meeting in person for classes. The class format will consists of online lectures, discussion boards, three exams and weekly chapter quizzes. You also will be required to work as part of a group to create a wiki on a deviant behavior of your choice. More details about this four-part group project will be provided in separate handouts and in instructional videos. Even though we will not be meeting face to face, you are responsible for reading the assigned course material each week so that you can participate in online discussions and successfully complete the chapter quizzes and exams. Weekly lectures will be recorded and available for viewing online on your own schedule. Lectures will cover the material in the textbook, offer guidance on assignments and feature guest speakers who are experts on various types of deviant behavior. All due dates and exam schedules are posted later in this syllabus. Assignments are due by the end of the day listed: 11:59 p.m. If you submit work past the due date, you will lose points or even not receive credit for the assignment. GRADING POLICY Your final grade will be awarded based on the following scale. Grades for all assignments and tests will be available in the grade book in eLearning. Online discussion/participation Weekly chapter quizzes Three exams (first exam worth 10%; others worth 15%) One group project (four parts worth 10% each) TOTAL
Letter Grade Percentage Points A+ A AB+ 97-100 94-96 90-93 87-89 B BC+ C 84-86 80-83 77-79 74-76 CD+ D D70-73 67-69 64-66 60-63 F 59 and below

10% 10% 40% 40% 100%

ONLINE LECTURES/DISCUSSION BOARD Although we will not be holding discussions in a traditional classroom setting, we will have virtual conversations on the online discussion board. Each week, one or two topics will be introduced for discussion based on the assigned readings or guest lecture. In order to receive full credit for this component of the course (10%), you will be required to write 10 original posts over the course of the semester (100-200 words), and post 20 comments as part of a discussion thread. Your original posts can include opinions, insights based on your own personal experiences, or summaries of relevant news stories on the topics being discussed. Be creative! The more you share, the more we will all learn. Some topics for discussion will be based exclusively on the lectures, which will be recorded and available for viewing anytime on eLearning. For example, we may discuss the insights of a guest speaker who is an expert on a particular deviant behavior covered in this course. Since eLearning tracks the amount of time you spend on the site, it will be obvious if you are commenting on a lecture that you have not watched. If you choose not to watch the lectures, please be aware that you also may be missing important material that will be covered on the exams. QUIZZES AND EXAMS Quizzes and exams will consist of multiple choice, matching and/or true/false questions, and will cover both the assigned readings and topics discussed in the lectures. The quizzes will be administered weekly and will cover only one chapter. They will be short and designed to ensure that you are keeping up with reading assignments. Your two lowest quiz grades will be dropped. The only exception is Quiz # 8, which involves taking a series of 4 short quizzes (4 questions each) on the Protecting Human Research Participants course site. This quiz is pass/fail and you may take it as many times as you like. You must complete all four sections by November 6, but you may start at any time. (START EARLY). Each of three exams will cover several chapters as well as the supplementary readings, but will not be comprehensive. All quiz and exam dates are listed later in this syllabus. Note that each exam and quiz will be posted and available for you to take for a full week, but once you begin, your work will be timed. GROUP PROJECT You will be completing a group project with two other students in the class, however your grades will be based on your individual contribution. Each group will choose a deviant behavior and create a wiki on the topic. A wiki is essentially a personal web site that is user friendly and lends itself to group work. Creating pages in your wiki is very similar to using a Word document. Here is a link to a short video with more information. http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english The four main parts of your Deviance wiki are 1) topic selection/introduction 2) literature review/research question 3) IRB approval (if required)/field observation and 4) results/conclusion section. The fieldwork will consist of observing a deviant behavior in a public setting, however you MUST CHOOSE A LEGAL ACTIVITY and in some cases, you may also need to get approval from UTDs Institutional Review Board (IRB). The need for IRB approval will be reviewed on a case by case basis. However, everyone will be required to complete the training on Protecting Human Research Participants and take Quiz #8. You also will have the option of analyzing media depictions of deviance in your fieldwork, such as television, films or music.

COMPUTER LITERACY In order to succeed in this class, you must be computer literate and have a basic understanding of the Internet. If you do not consider yourself to be computer literate, please consider taking a traditional class instead. If youre not sure about taking an online course, take this self-assessment quiz. http://som.utdallas.edu/somResources/eLearning/eLearningProspective/selfAssessment.php INTERNET ACCESS All coursework, reading assignments and the wiki project will be provided electronically on the Internet. Activities will include streaming and watching videos as well as completing exams and assignments online. These activities are not possible on anything other than a high-speed Internet connection. Information on computer and browser requirements can be found at http://www.utdallas.edu/elearning/webct/index.html. You may also use one of UTDs on-campus computer labs. For location and hours, visit Computer Labs - ACUS | IR - UT Dallas Remember computer technology can be unreliable, so plan ahead. Quizzes and exams will be timed, and once you start your quiz or exam, you cannot reset the clock the exam must be completed within the allotted time period. If you are booted off or experience a slow connection, you will not be able to start over. If you run into trouble, send me an email IMMEDIATELY to document the problem. Or you may send an email to the UTD Computing Help Desk (assist@utdallas.edu) and copy me on the email. If your problem is related specifically to eLearning, call the help desk anytime at 1-866-588-3192 and ask for an email copy of your ticket, which you can then forward to me for verification. eLEARNING SYSTEM This class uses UTDs eLearning System to manage the online content. You should log in to your eLearning account before the first day of class to ensure that you have no problems accessing the site. For more information on technical requirements, visit eLearning - The University of Texas at Dallas Once you are logged in, you will find links to eLearning student tutorials. You can get more help by calling 1-866-588-3192 or visiting eLearning - The University of Texas at Dallas EMAIL ACCOUNT Please be sure that you know how to access your UTD email account and can check it regularly. The university provides students with free email accounts in order to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of individuals corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. Therefore, the university encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a students UT Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD student account. For help with your UTD email account, call 972-883-2911 or go to http://www.utdallas.edu/ir/helpdesk/ REQUIRED SOFTWARE You must have access to Microsoft Office software (Word, PowerPoint and Excel) version 2007 or higher. Teachers and UTD students are eligible for significant discounts on software at the UTD Tech Store. You also must have Adobes Acrobat Reader and Apples Quick Time Player, which are both available through free downloads.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MAKE-UP EXAMS AND LATE ASSIGNMENTS The dates of exams and other assignments are indicated on the class schedule. Because you will have a full week to complete the exams, you most likely will not need a make-up. However, in case of extenuating circumstances, make-up exams will only be given for legitimate reasons and with proper written documentation. If you fail to take an exam or turn in an assignment without a reasonable excuse, you will receive a 0 for that portion of the course. THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UPS FOR QUIZZES. INCOMPLETE GRADE POLICY As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the semesters end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY The faculty expects a high level of responsibility and academic honesty from students. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work. For online classes, letting another person complete your work for you or representing them as you is considered cheating. Only students registered for the class may participate in class work or assignments. If you allow someone else to do your work for you, the person who loses is you. SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY Any student who commits an act of scholastic dishonesty is subject to discipline. Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts. Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the universitys policy on plagiarism. To ensure academic integrity, all sections of the group project will be checked through Turnitin.com GENERAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES The University of Texas at Dallas has developed a number of policies and procedures designed to provide students with a safe and supportive learning environment. For UT Dallas policy related to the following go to: http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies
Field Trip Policies Student Conduct & Discipline Email Use Withdrawal from Class Student Grievance Procedures Disability Services Religious Holidays

CLASS SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS *Please note that not all reading assignments are posted in this syllabus. Articles on current news events that relate to our topics will be posted on eLearning to supplement the list below. Online announcements will alert you to these additional reading assignments. Week 1 8/24-8/28 Overview of the Course QUIZ #1 SYLLABUS QUIZ DUE BY 11:59 P.M. SUNDAY, 8/28 NOTE: FIRST LECTURE (A WELCOME VIDEO) AND DISCUSSION TOPIC WIL BE POSTED ON 8/24 AND THEY WILL BE ONGOING THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER. What is Deviant Behavior? Thio: Chapter 1 QUIZ #2 DUE BY 11:59 P.M., SUNDAY 9/4 Positivist Theories Thio: Chapter 2 Reader: Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6 QUIZ #3 DUE BY 11:59 P.M., SUNDAY 9/11 Constructionist Theories Thio: Chapter 3 Reader: Chapters 7, 8, 9 and 10 EXAM #1 DUE BY 11:59 P.M., SUNDAY 9/18 Physical Violence Thio: Chapter 4 Reader: Chapters 12 and 13 QUIZ #4 DUE BY 11:59 P.M., SUNDAY 9/25 WIKI TOPIC DUE BY 11:59 P.M. SUNDAY 9/25 Rape and Child Molestation Thio: Chapter 5 Reader: Chapters 18, 47 QUIZ #5 DUE BY 11:59 P.M., SUNDAY 10/2 WIKI GROUPS WILL BE ASSIGNED BY 10/2 Family Violence Thio: Chapter 6 Reader: Chapter 15, 16 QUIZ #6 DUE BY 11:59 P.M., SUNDAY 10/9 WIKI INTRODUCTION DUE BY 10/9 Suicide Thio: Chapter 7 Reader: Chapter 19 EXAM # 2 DUE 11:59 P.M., SUNDAY 10/16

Week 2 8/29-9/4

Week 3 9/6-9/11

Week 4 9/12-9/18

Week 5 9/19-9/25

Week 6 9/26-10/2

Week 7 10/3-10/9

Week 8 10/10-10/16

Week 9 10/17-10/23

Mental Disorder Thio: Chapter 8 Reader: Chapter 21 QUIZ #7 DUE BY 11:59 P.M., SUNDAY 10/23 Heterosexual Deviance Thio: Chapter 9 Reader: Chapter 29, 30 LITERATURE REVIEW DUE BY11:59 P.M., SUNDAY, 10/30 Gays and Other Victims of Stigma Thio: Chapter 10 Reader: Chapter 24, 25 QUIZ #8 PROTECTING HUMAN RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS AND IRB APPLICATION DUE BY 11:59 P.M., SUNDAY 11/6 Substance Use and Abuse Thio: Chapters 11 and 12 Reader: Chapters 31, 34 and 50 EXAM #3 DUE BY 11:59 P.M., SUNDAY 11/13 Fieldwork WIKI DISCUSSION POST DUE BY 11:59 P.M., SUNDAY 11/20 Fieldwork WIKI DISCUSSION POST DUE BY 11:59 P.M., SUNDAY 11/27 Internet Deviance Thio: Chapter 15 Reader: Chapters 36, 38 QUIZ #9 DUE BY 11:59 P.M., SUNDAY 12/4 FINAL WIKI PROJECT DUE BY 11:59 P.M., SUNDAY, 12/11

Week 10 10/24-10/30

Week 11 10/31-11/6

Week 12 11/7-11/13

Week 13 11/14-11/20 Week 15 11/21-11/27 Week 16 11/28-12/4

Week 17 12/5-12/11

NOTE: This schedule is tentative and may be subject to change.